Análisis termo–económico y ambiental de un sistema de refrigeración en cascada con refrigerantes de bajo GWP
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26359/nawsw347Keywords:
Sistema de refrigeración en cascada, refrigerantes de bajo GWP, exergía, análisis termo-económicoAbstract
Este trabajo presenta un análisis termoeconómico y ambiental de un sistema de refrigeración por compresión mecánica en cascada orientado a aplicaciones de baja temperatura, empleando refrigerantes con bajo GWP. Se construyó un modelo termodinámico empleando Spyder y la librería CoolProp para el cálculo de propiedades termodinámicas, con la finalidad de analizar parámetros clave del sistema, como la temperatura del evaporador y la temperatura del intercambiador de calor de cascada. Se identificó que el par R744 -RE170 mostró el mejor comportamiento integral, alcanzando valores máximos de COP y ECOP de 1.43 y 0.34, respectivamente. Los compresores concentran el 45 % de la exergía destruida total. De igual forma, el condensador es el componente con menor eficiencia exergética, debido al elevado gradiente entrópico asociado al cambio de fase. Desde el punto de vista económico, los retornos de inversión están en torno a los 3.5 y 8.1 años, con mejoras al aumentar la temperatura del evaporador y disminuir la temperatura del intercambiador de calor en cascada. En términos ambientales, el par R744–RE170 permitió minimizar las emisiones indirectas derivadas del consumo eléctrico, alcanzando valores mínimos de 56.23 ton CO₂/año. En conjunto, los resultados confirman que los sistemas en cascada constituyen una alternativa viable y sostenible cuando se emplean refrigerantes de bajo GWP.
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